The auction’s success highlights the ongoing interest in circus memorabilia, demonstrating its value in the collectables market, with serious enthusiasts seizing the opportunity to acquire unique pieces of circus history.

A mid-1950s poster for Billy Smart’s Circus, produced by Bradford-based company W.E. Berry and featuring a troupe of elephants, along with monkeys riding bicycles and swinging from a trapeze, was the top selling individual poster of the sale, fetching £2,400 plus auction fees. Another 1950s poster by the same producer, advertising Bertram Mills “Circus and Fun Fair”, achieved £440 plus fees. The company’s chief illustrator during this period was Leon Crossley and posters from this era are particularly sought after.

Auctioneer, Angus Ashworth, said: “Demand for circus posters has skyrocketed in recent years. We received pre-sale enquiries from serious collectors of circus memorabilia, dealers, and general buyers looking for something colourful for their walls. People are really starting to value these as pieces of art.”

“Vintage posters featuring circus animals are particularly sought after, they show a bygone age of entertainment which (for good reason!) is no longer acceptable, but they’re reminders of a period of history that’s long gone which adds to their appeal.”

The company W. E. Berry Ltd. (1888-2004) was a prolific producer and printer of film, circus, railway, and theatre posters. Founded in Bradford by William Berry, the company was passed on to his son, William Edward Berry, in the early 20th century, at which point it adopted his name.

Their most significant partnership began in the 1920s with Paramount Studios, and they expanded their range of film posters over the years by producing for other film distributors, playing a crucial role in the British film industry.

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